Two female suicide bombers killed in Maiduguri

Two suspected female suicide bombers were killed in early hours of Friday by Nigerian troops in Maiduguri, the Borno State capital.

The two bombers were spotted by civilian vigilantes assisting the military against Boko Haram at Molai around 1:00 am, vigilante Babakura Kolo said.

“When the vigilantes flashed their torchlights on them and demanded to know their identities, one of the women detonated her explosives while the other one ran and hid in an abandoned building,” he said.

He said soldiers rushed to the scene on hearing the explosion where they joined the vigilantes in searching for the other bomber.

She was found holed up in the building and the soldiers “shot and killed her because she was trying to set off her explosives”, said Kolo, whose account was supported by Musa Ari, another vigilante.

Molai, which lies six kilometres (2.5 miles) from Maiduguri, has been repeatedly attacked by Boko Haram.

On March 16 two female suicide bombers disguised as male worshippers struck at a mosque in the area during morning prayers, killing 25 people and injuring more than 32 others.

Boko Haram has been carrying out suicide bombings often using female bombers and girls as part of its more than six-year armed campaign to establish an Islamic state in northern Nigeria.

The violence has claimed 17,000 lives and displaced 2.6 million from their homes.